Normandy Tours, Vacation Packages & Travel Experiences

Normandy is very accessible from Paris, on a French vacation. It is located on the north coast of France and has an attractive coastline with granite cliffs to the west and limestone cliffs to the east. There are also long stretches of beach in the centre of the region. Inland has pleasant, undulating countryside suitable for dairy farming and fruit growing. Normandy is known for its cheese, butter and cream. It is also a major cider-producing region famous for the alcoholic drink, calvados, made from fermented apples. Being on the coast, it has excellent fish and seafood on offer.

Rouen is the capital city of Normandy. It is a well-preserved medieval city and probably best-known for its stunning cathedral, built between the 12th and 16th Centuries, with its gothic facade and the subject of a series of paintings by Claude Monet. A free sound-and-light show is projected onto the facade every night from June to late September. Another famous structure is Rouen Castle where Joan of Arc was incarcerated for a time. There are several museums in Rouen including the Museum of Fine Arts, the Maritime Museum, Museum of Antiquities and the Ceramics Museum, all to be enjoyed on trips to France.

Caen is known for its historical buildings built during the reign of William the Conqueror, who was buried there. It is handy for visiting the Normandy D-Day beaches. Unfortunately, much of the city was destroyed during the Second World War. However, it was rebuilt and is now a vibrant and attractive city and one of the oldest university towns in France. Surrounded by a moat, the Chateau de Caen is home to the Normandy Museum with exhibitions about the landscapes of Normandy and depictions of the everyday lives of the Norman peasants.

The D-Day beaches, 80 kilometres/50 miles in length, are where the Allied Forces landed in 1944, an attack that changed the course of the war. Today they are the site of many memorials and museums in memory of those who fought and those who died there. The important ones are Juno Beach, 9 kilometres/5 miles long, where the Canadian forces landed, Omaha Beach where the US 29th Infantry Division had the most difficult landing of the whole Allied assault, Utah Beach, primarily where the US troops landed, Gold Beach, 9 kilometres/5 miles long, and Sword Beach. The Normandy American Cemetery is located close by and was the first American cemetery on European soil in World War II. It contains the graves of 9,387 of US military dead, most of whom lost their lives in the D-Day landing. A moving experience on a France vacation.

Honfleur is an attractive coastal city known for its old picturesque harbour with its numerous cafes and a very lively place in the summer. It is also known for its half-timbered, slate-coloured house and its cobblestone streets. Nearby are two fashionable resorts, Deauville and Trouville on what is known as the “Normandy Riviera”. Deauville has an excellent beach, shops, golf course and casino. It also hosts an annual film festival. Trouville is next door to Deauville and is a picturesque fishing port with an equally good beach, some superb villas, a golf course, an aquarium and a casino.

Something not to be missed on France tours are teh Bayeux Tapestries, famous worldwide. They are technically not a tapestry but embroidery. Located in the town of Bayeux, they are 70 metres/230 feet long and 50 centimetres/20 inches high, made in the 11th Century, amazingly preserved and in beautiful condition. With bright colours, they bring to life the story of the Norman Conquest.

Mont St. Michel is an 11th Century abbey located off the coast of Normandy on a small, rocky island reached by a sand causeway when the tide is out. It rises dramatically up from the sea. To see it is a worthwhile experience on trips to France. It can be visited at appropriate times.